When I say time-readers, I am not talking about fortune-tellers who read the stars and claim to see the future of man. I am talking about an “aware” state of being where one can critically observe the current times we live in and adjust his business accordingly for success in this environment.
If you cannot read the times we live in today with apt observance, you are in for a surprise in the world. As one generation fades away as a result of death, the next generation is taking over as soon as possible. The business environment is not as it was in the past.
The “taking-over” generation, the new millennials work by a new set of rules. Are you up to date with them or you are keeping the tenets of the older generation? These 21st Century skills are now called Next Generation Skills.
Are schools and society teaching you the needed skills for the next millennium? If not, you need to learn them yourself, because there is no excuse or blame game that will save you here.
Cultivating technical skills alone won’t cut it where we are headed. The pace of change continues to accelerate in our world and the skills needed to thrive are shifting too. Soft skills are now critical because machines cannot do them yet.
Digital Literacy
The quick ability to use devices, software, and apps in the digital world is essential to live, work and learn effectively. People with this skill must learn to keep up to date as change is always on the way and it impacts our work and business.
Collaboration
Maintaining a smooth workflow with people from diverse backgrounds and distances can sum up collaboration. It can also include working with machines effectively.
Creativity
Creativity constitutes coming up with new ideas and implementing them in ways that solve problems effectively and efficiently without overhead losses. Seeing the big picture and how it all fits together are some things machines cannot do. Creativity is not routine in nature, but extraordinary.
Critical thinking
Are you able to analyze issues and situations using proper evidence without relying on what people think and say? Then you have this critical thinking skill. You can question authority to validate evidence and claims and watch out for personal opinions and biases regardless of the source.
Effective oral and written communication
The ability to write, especially as a content creator and marketer is essential as much as the ability to speak. Learning to speak and listen to a person and to a group regardless of size or mode is very important. Sending clear messages to persons is a wonderful skill to possess and can make the difference between failures and losers.
Self-directed and engaged learning
You have to be self-motivated and take knowledge acquisition into your own hands, as well as the practical aspect. There are no excuses for now knowing something. And nobody owes you an explanation or instructions. You have to be your own best teacher and student, that is how you navigate this revolution we live in.
Emotional intelligence
To be emotionally intelligent means you have the ability to view and control your own emotions and also know how it impacts people around you. It also includes the ability to control your thinking, feeling, and actions and see the world from the viewpoint of other people.
Other powerful 21st Century soft skills are:
- Curiosity and imagination
- Initiative and entrepreneurialism
- Leadership skills
- Time management
- Flexibility
- Data Analysis skills
Start now where you are acquiring these skills by reading books, join toastmaster clubs, and socialise wherever you can. Any opportunity you have to exhibit these skills should not be neglected.
Join the Parent-Teacher Association in your community school and always try to make an input. Become a member of a political party and join the campaign team to learn a thing or two. Opportunity abound everywhere in the world to enhance these skills in your life.